American Idol logo 2008–2011
Each season premiers with the audition rounds in different cities where a few hundreds out of many thousands of contestants may be selected by the judges. The audition episodes typically feature a mix of potential finalists, interesting characters and woefully inadequate contestants. Each successful contestant receives a golden ticket to proceed on to the next round in Hollywood. Based on their performances during the Hollywood round, 24 to 36 contestants are selected by the judges to participate in the semifinals. From the semifinal onwards the contestants perform their songs live, with the judges making their critiques after each performance. The contestants are voted for by the viewing public, and the outcome of the public votes is then revealed in the result show typically on the following night. The result shows feature group performances by the contestants as well as guest performers. The top 3 result show also features the homecoming events for the Top 3 finalists. The season reaches its climax in a 2-hour result finale show where the winner of the season is revealed.
With the exception of seasons one and two, the contestants in the semifinals onwards performed in front of a studio audience. They performed with a full band in the finals. From season four to season nine, the American Idol band was led by Rickey Minor, from season ten onwards Ray Chew.Assistance may also be given by vocal coaches and song arrangers, such as Michael Orland and Debra Byrd to contestants behind the scene. Contestants may perform with a musical instrument starting season seven from the Hollywood rounds onwards. The performance was usually aired live on Tuesday night and the result show on Wednesday in the United States and Canada in the first nine seasons, but moved to Wednesday and Thursday in season ten.